Brick machine



(No Model.) 2 sheets-sheet' 1.

- A. J. GWIN.

l BRICK MACHINE. Y No. 574,800. Patented Jan. 5, 1897.

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. A. J. GWIN.

BRICK MACHINE.

Ne. 574,800. 'PeteetedJee.5,1897.

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ANDRET J. GW'I, OF MINDEN, LOUISIANA, ASSIGNOR OF ONE HALF TO S. G.WEBB, OF SAME PLACE.

BRICK-MACHINE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 574,800, dated January5, 1897. Application iled March 31, 1896. Serial No. 585 ,638. (Nomodel.)

To @ZZ whom t may concern,.-

Beit known that I, ANDREW J. GWIN, a citizen of the United States,residing at Minden, in the parish of Webster and State of Louisiana,have invented a new and useful Brick'- Machine, of which the followingis a specification.

This invention relates to that class of machines for making brick byhand and aims to 1o increase the output of machines of this characterwithout requiring additional labor or imposing eXtra work or requiring aspecial effort on the part of the workman.

For a full understanding of the merits and J 5 advantages of theinvention reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings and thefollowing` description.

The improvement is susceptible of various changes in the form,proportion, and the mizo nor details of construction without departingfrom the principle or sacrificing any of the advantages thereof, and toa full disclosure ofl the invention an adaptation thereof is shown inthe accompanying drawings, in which- 2 5 Figure 1 is a side elevation ofa machine constructed for eifecting the objects of this invention,showing the lever bearing the cap for closing the upper ends of themolds in locked relation.

3o verse side, showing the said lever thrown into an upright or verticalposition. Fig. 3 is a top plan view of the machine, the parts occupyingthe relative position shown in Fig. 2. Fig. 4 is a transverse section onthe line X X of Fig. 3, looking in the direction of the arrow. Fig. 5 isan end View of the machine.

' Fig. 6 is a vertical longitudinal section on the line Y Y of Fig. 3,the cap being closed and the end portion of the frame being broken away.

Corresponding and like parts are referred to in the followingdescription and designated in the several views of the accompanyingdrawings by the same reference-characters. The frame for supporting theoperating parts may be of suitable construction, and is shown ascomprising longitudinal beams 1, y an end bar 2, and an intermediatecross-bar 3, and this frame is supported upon legs or 5o uprights 4. Acrank-shaft 5 is journaled in bearings at one end of the frame, and itspro- Fig. 2 is a view of the rejecting end is provided with a handle 6,by means of which the crank-shaft is turned in its bearings. The crankportion 7 of the crank-shaft is flattened on .its outer side to securean extended bearing between it and the lever S, and a lug 9 extendsabout radially from the crank-shaft and is cleft at its outer end toreceive a link or arm 10, which is pivotally connected therewith. Thelever 6o 8 is secured to a short shaft 11, which obtains bearings inpillow-blocks 12, secured to the longitudinal beams 1, and the inner endof this lever is supplied with a cap 13, which closes the upper ends ofthe molds 1i. Pins 6 5 or studs 15 and 1G extend 'laterally from theshort arm of the lever and are about in horizontal alnement when the cap13 is closed, and one of the pins, as 16, is headed to overlap the sidesof an L-slot 17 in the front end 7o of the said link or arm 10, so as toretain the latter in working and operative relation. The horizontalportion of the L-slot 17 is sufficiently long to enable the link or arm10 to have a longitudinal movement, so as to permit the crank portion 7to clear the outer end of the lever 8 prior to the tilting of the latterto elevate the cap 13.

WVhen the pin or stud 15 reaches the Vertical portion of the L-slot, acontinued move- 8o ment of .the link or arm 10 will cause the lat* terto pull upon the part 15 and tilt the lever S, so as to lift the cap 13,therebyuncovering the molds. Upon closing the cap 13 the part 15 willtravel in the vertical portion of the 85 L-slot 17, and after the cap isclosed the arm 10 will move a distance to enable the crank portion 7 ofthe crank-shaft 5 to come beneath the outer end of the lever S and holdthe latter in locked relation, the pins or studs 9o 15 and 16 travelingin the longitudinal or horizontal portion of the L-slot 17.

Side plates 18 depend from the longitudinal beams 1 and are connectedthereto in a substantial manner, and are united at their lower ends by ahorizontal plate 19. The molds 14, of suitable shape and in any desirednumber, three generally being employed, are located at the upper ends ofthe plates 18, and a plunger 20 operates in each mold, the plunger-rods21 being connected at their lower ends bya cross-head 22, which is ofsuiiicient IOC Weight to cause the descent of the plungers when thelatter are released after ejecting the molded bricks. One of theplunger-rods, preferably the intermediate or middle rod, is providedwith cog-teeth 23, which mesh with a correspondinglytoothed segment 24on a shaft 25, obtaining bearings in the plates 1S, and by means ofwhich the plungers are quickly elevated to eject the bricks after thelatter have been molded. A ratchet-Wheel 26 is secured to a projectingend of the shaft 25, and a lever 27, loosely mounted upon the projectingend of the shaft 25, is provided with a pivoted dog 2S, connected bymeans of a rod 29 with a hand-latch 30, to be thrown into engagementwith the teeth of the ratchetwheel 2G when required, so as to turn itand the shaft 25 to eject the bricks when required. A keeper 31 isapplied to the longitudinal beam 1 adjacent to the lever 27 and servesto limit the movements of the lever and support it when not in use.

A shaft 32 is journaled in the plates 18 near their upper ends, and itsprojecting end has fitted thereon a toothed cam 33, which meshes with acorresponding and companion toothed cam 34, held upon a shaft 35,similarly journaled in the plates 1S and provided With anoperating'lever 3G. The shafts 32 and 35 are placed about in the samehorizontal plane and are spaced apart a distance to receive between themthe plunger-rods 21. Elongated plates or arms 37 are keyed to the shaft32 and come opposite the spaces between the plunger-rods, and areconnected by links 3S with stems 39,0peratin g loosely through openings40 in the cross-head 22. The lowerends of the stems 39 are threaded andproject beyond the cross-head 22 and receive nuts 41, which areadjustable thereon, so as to limit the vertical movement of the plungerswhen the lever 3G is operated to compress the brickforming material inthe molds 14 4between the cap 13 and the plungers 20.

The clay or other brick-forming material is supplied to the molds 14E byhand or in any other convenient Way, and the lever 8 is operated bymeans of the handle G and the arm lO to lower the cap 13 .upon themolds, so as to close their upper ends, the cap being held in place bythe crank portion 7 engaging with the outer end of the lever 8. Thelever 36 is now actuated and through the toothed cams 33 and 3i turnsthe shaft 32 and lifts the stems 39, thereby bringing the nuts 41 intoengagement with the cross-head 22 and elevating it and the plungers andcompressing the material in the molds. lVhen the bricks have beenproperly molded, the cap is ele vated and the lever 27 operated to liftthe plun gers through the instrumentality of the toothed segment 24 andthe cog-teeth 23,

thereby pushing or ejecting the bricks from the molds. The bricks areremoved from the plungers and aretransported to the kiln in anyconvenient Way to be cured and burned. Upon operating the hand-latch 30to disengage the pivoted dog 2S from the ratchet- Wheel 2G the plungerswill descend by the Weight of the cross-head 22 and the mass of theplungers and their rods.

Ilaving thus described the invention, what is claimed as new is- 1. In abrick-machine,the combination with a mold, and a lever bearing a cap toclose thc mold, of a shaft operatively connected with the lever toactuate it to cause the cap carried thereby to close or uncover the moldas desired, and having a crank portion to be brought into engagementwith the lever when the mold is closed so as to hold the cap in lockedrelation, substantially as set forth.

2. In a brick-machine,the combination with a mold, and a lever bearing acap to close the mold, of a shaft having a handle and lug, a link havingpivotal connection at one end with the lug of the shaft and having anapproximately L-shaped slot at the other end, and a pair of pins 15 and1G on the lever and operating in the said L-shaped slot of the link,substantially as set forth for the purpose described. j

3. In a brick-machine,thc combination with a mold, and a lever bearing acap for closing the mold, and having a pair of laterally-projectingpins, of a shaft having a crank portion and a lug, a link pivotallyconnected at one end with the said lug and having in its other end anapproximately L-shaped slot to receive the pins on the lever, and meansfor turning the said shaft in its bearings to operate the lever to closeor uncover the mold and to bring the said crank 'portion into engagementwith the lever When the mold is closed so as to lock the cap in place,substantially as set forth.

4. In a brick-machine,the combination With a mold, and a plungeroperating in the mold, of parallel shafts,'co1nplementary cams securedto t-he parallel shafts andhaving their opposing portions toothed andintermeshing, a lever applied to one of the shafts, an arm secured tothe other shaft, a stem having loose connection with the plunger, anadjustable stop on the stem to engage with the part of the plungerthrough Whichthe stem plays, and a link connecting the stem with theaforesaid arm, substantially as set forth.

5. In a brick-machine, the combination of a mold, a plunger operating inthe mold and having a cross-head, parallel shafts, complementary toothedcams secured to the shafts and intermeshing, a lever applied to one ofthe shafts, an arm secured to the other shaft, a stein slidably mountedin the said crosshead, a link connecting the stem with the arm on thesaid shaft, a stop adj ustably mounted on the stem to engage with thecross-head and move the plunger, and means for moving the plungerindependently of the intermeshing toothed cams and the connectingmechanism between the said cams and the cross head,`

substantially as set forth. y

6. In a brick-machine,the combination with IOO IIC)

a mold, and a plunger provided with a rod having a toothed portion and across-head, of a stem operating through an opening in the cross-head, anut mounted upon the projecting threaded end portion of the stem andadapted to be brought into engagement with the cross-head, means formoving the stem to actuate the plunger, a shaft, a toothed elementsecured to the shaft and meshing with the toothed portion of theplungerrod, and means for turning the shaft to actuate the plunger-rodindependently of the said stem, substantially as set forth.

7. In a brick-machine, the combination with a mold, a plunger operatingin the mold and having its rod formed with a toothed portion and across-head, a stem operating through an opening in the cross-head andhaving an adjustable portion to be brought into engagement with thelatter, and means for moving the stem to advance the plunger in themold, of a shaft, a toothed element upon the shaft meshing with thetoothed portion of the plunger-rod, a rachet-wheel secured upon theshaft, a lever loosely mounted upon the said shaft, a dog pivoted to thelever, and ahandlatch carried by the lever and having connection withthe dog to throw it into or out of engagement with the teeth of theratchetwheel, substantially as set forth for the purpose described.

8. In a brick-machine, the combination of a series of molds, and acorresponding series of pl lingers operating in the molds and havingtheir rods spaced apart and connected by a cross-head, one of the rodshaving a toothed portion, stems operating through openings in thecross-head, a shaft having arms which are in connection with the saidstems, means for turning the shaft to advance the plungers to the work,a shaft having a toothed element meshing with the toothed plunger-rod,and a lever adapted to actuate the last-mentioned shaft to eject thebricks from the molds, substantially as set forth.

9. In a brick-machine, the combination of a series of molds, acorresponding series of plun gers having their rods spaced apart andconnected by a cross-head, stems operating loosely through openings inthe cross-head and having portions to engage with the crosshead, a shafthaving arms opposite the spaces between the plunger-rods and operativelyconnected with the stems, a second shaft, complementary toothed camssecured upon the two shafts for decreasing the leverage and increasingthe eective force for operating the plungers to compress the bricks, athird shaft having a toothed element to engage with a toothed portion ofa plunger-rod, and means Y for operating the last-mentioned shaft toeject the bricks from the molds, substantially in the manner set forthfor the purpose described.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own I have hereto affixedmy signature in the presence of two witnesses.

ANDREW J. GWIN. Vitnesses:

J. M. REAGAN, J. B. MIMs.

